"We want that safe, family-friendly place where people want to come, where people want to live, where they want to make their investments," said Sam Gray, Battle Creek resident and former chairman of Neighborhood Planning Council 2.

"I love hitting more than anything else. It's the best thing about football," said Pennfield senior Justin Lamb. "There's a difference once we start practicing with pads. Conditioning and stuff is important and we had those days of practice, but this is real football now."